Country Life Magazine
January 2003
These feet were made for walking
The human body has 639 muscles, 206 bones and 230 joints
all perfectly aligned to enable us to put one foot in front
of the other. But spending years at a desk or behind a steering
wheel takes it toll, and even a simple 10-mile stroll can
cause aches and pains. Improve your posture using the Alexander
Technique, and those grumbles will disappear.
What is the Alexander Technique?
Pioneered by Frederick Matthias Alexander at the turn of
the 20th century, the Alexander Technique helps you achieve
good posture. This allows your body to move freely and efficiently
with maximum balance and minimum effort.
Your posture is a reflection of your life. When you learned
to walk as a toddler, your posture was good and centred
around balance. But, over the years, you have picked up
bad habits and these now affect the way you walk. Perhaps
you were a tall teenager and rounded your shoulders in an
unconscious effort to appear smaller. Maybe a large part
of your working life is spent sitting down, and you tend
to slump. Or do you have a stressful job and habitually
tense your neck and shoulders?
When you walk, your poor posture and tensed muscles place
unnecessary stress on your body, impeding your strides and
leading to pain and fatigue. Think of your body in terms
of a machine, with tensed muscles as rusty hinges and a
poorly-aligned skeleton as misplaced components inhibiting
fluid movement – isn’t it time you gave your
body a service and got it back in full working order?
Most walkers who use the Technique find they are able to
walk further with less effort, ending their day ache-free.
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